Five minutes with comedian Chris Ryan

Posted on 2 July, 2019

Chris Ryan is one of Canberra comedy’s brightest rising stars. 

After a huge start to her year, which included scooping the Best Newcomer Award at the Sydney Comedy Festival in May, Chris is back in Canberra helping program a regular series of local comedy events.

We caught up with Chris to chat shortcomings, snobs and bringing comedy to Canberra’s deep south.

Congratulations on winning the Best Newcomer Award at the Sydney Comedy Festival! How does it feel?

Thanks! It feels surreal. There are so many people who are so good, working so hard to get the great gigs and find their audience in comedy and the arts more broadly so it is enormously humbling to get this recognition.

As much as I know I still need to work hard, keep writing new material, keep giving 100% at gigs, I have allowed myself a few quiet moments of reflection on how great this feels and to think that, perhaps, the possibilities I have dreamed of for myself are not so ludicrous.

It feels like [a] validation of my decision late last year to concentrate on comedy full time.

Describe your comedic style in three words

Dry, observational, rebellious.

Who do you think would best relate to your style of comedy?

People who would best relate to me probably don’t mind having a laugh at themselves and realise that they are largely flawed but are not afraid of their shortcomings.

They’re not the kind of people who feel better making others feel bad or who boast about their kids.

I like to think they are smart but not intellectual snobs and have seen a lot in their lives that makes them question authority but still pay the bills.

What do you love most about living in Canberra? Does it fuel any of your material?

I love the nature reserves in Canberra that enable me to walk five minutes from my house and feel like I am on my own farm, surrounded by trees, great views and silent kangaroos.

I love that my kids can go to fantastic public schools within walking distance and I don’t have to plan five weeks in advance about how to have a night out because the traffic is not diabolical.

My material is not Canberra-focused, it’s more about life, personalities, relationships and the things we tell ourselves to justify poor behaviour, but I am writing at the moment about my first ever day working in the public service when I responded to a letter addressed to the Prime Minister by signing off as myself.

Tell us about the comedy events you host and organise in Canberra?

On the last Friday of each month, I host Beyond Comedy at Beyond Q second-hand bookshop and café in Weston Creek.

That room is consistently sold out and a fun new gig for Southside locals who don’t want to go far to get some laughs.

I recently started a new room to bring comedy to the deep south at the Tuggeranong Arts Centre, called Club Sandwich Comedy, upstairs in The Hunting Lodge.

A past line up of Beyond Comedy.

The audience there is a bit older than at Civic Pub Comedy Club in Braddon (Canberra’s longest running comedy club which recently 10 years) and is starting to build with a few regular faces coming back each month.

Our next Club Sandwich Comedy is on Friday 5 July with the hilarious Araluen-based musical comedian, Hamish Hudson.

What’s next?

I’m doing a run at the Sydney Comedy Store in July, Brisbane Funny Fest in August, Sydney Fringe Comedy Festival in September and a few other gigs locally and interstate as well as preparing for some corporate gigs, which can be fun.

I am constantly writing and performing, running my rooms and aiming at a great new show for next year’s Canberra Comedy Festival in March and the festivals in Melbourne, Sydney and further afield.

Keep up with Chris’s gigs at chrisryancomedy.com. For more Canberra comedy, visit comedyact.com.au.